InnerFidelity Update December 2017

Oh man! Lots more stuff showing up on the stoop. Worry not, the Sennheiser HD 660 S review will be up by weeks end, but I figured you'd want to see the measurements for a couple more soon-to-be-reviewed headphones: the Klipsch Heritage HP-3 and the Focal Clear. You'll get my comments then.

Klipsch Heritage HP-3Measurements

Click on graphs image to download .pdf for closer inspection.

Focal Clear Measurements

Click on graphs image to download .pdf for closer inspection.

It's worth mentioning that this is the second Focal Clear I measured...needed to make double-damn sure I didn't get an odd man out sample like I did with the Utopia. They look pretty much the same this time. Previous Clear measurements here.

So I guess I should just eat at my local hell's kitchen. I should remain oblivious to it being a source of enough cases of foodborne illnesses to fill an entire hospital ward. I should do this just because life is to be enjoyed, not examined. Smart cookie there, except I just tossed my cookies following your advice. ;P Seriously though, here's my informal philosophy: always strive for the very best through careful study and observation; don't succumb to the pitfall of analysis paralysis; and, above all, always remember to have joy in the journey. Most users here would probably say they believe the very same things. No one here is advocating to quit listening to their headphones, instead relocate to an isolated hilltop monastery, and there madly stare at a computer screen comparing graphs for years on end until our eyes are bloodshot red, all in the name of obtaining humanity's most proficient headphone. A little thought-provoking analysis never hurt anyone, pushing the envelope here and there and reaching a little higher. In reality, this is the end goal, not the end in itself. So relax, take a deep breath and... merry Christmas!

Since the Klpisch and the AKG K812 have a very similar FR from 800 Hz to 7 kHz, it would be useful to include a comparison between these to in your review. Those two are very different sounding dynamic headphones. And measurement noobs could understand how to look closer at IR. And what is not present in measurements.

except for the up to 5 dB differences within that range and the huge differences outside it, especially in the lower mids and entire bass range which completely change the tonality of the headphone, the additional resonance at 8-9 k and at around 14 kHz.

I don't understand what these huge differences have to do with objectivity/objectivism. If these sound the same to you, even within the narrow range that you have mentioned, then you shouldn't look for these headphones but instead shop for $10 ones.

I wrote that these are very different sounding dynamic headphones and that this would remain even when the FR would be adjusted on both headphones. You imply to me dumbness. That's kind of typical for objectivists who know it all better.

This represents the range of Human hearing, and divides the frequencies into the old standards of Bass, Mids, & Treble. These have been the widely accepted definitions for many years.

In the table below, the further subdivisions are useful to more accurately describe the audible spectrum, which have developed over time, to describe the ten octaves we can hear as illustrated below. Note also the frequencies that most refer to as ("presence") and ("air" or "sparkle"). It is important that we use these standards in naming the different bands of frequencies in order to have a common language. If not referring to this standard, the only alternative is to talk in terms of the frequencies in Hz, and mention only the numbers.